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Regulations of Fire Safety & the Evacuation of Buildings

Understanding fire safety and how to quickly evacuate a building can save your life in an emergency situation. Large buildings, such as workplaces, apartment complexes and public buildings, are required to have evacuation procedures. These procedures should be easily available to employees, residents and visitors in case of emergency. Many buildings are also required to have fire safety equipment, such as alarms and fire extinguishers, installed at regular intervals throughout the building. Property owners should become familiar with local fire and safety regulations.

  1. Fire Safety Equipment

    • Fire safety equipment includes preventative equipment such as fire alarms and smoke detectors. It may also include equipment like fire extinguishers and water hoses, to help put out a fire, or fire axes, to break down doors and escape from a burning building. Commercial buildings may also be required by local legislation to have a sprinkler system installed. All fire safety equipment must be inspected on a regular basis by the local government to make sure that it is all functioning properly. Any equipment that fails must be immediately repaired or replaced.

    Posted Evacuation Plan

    • All buildings should have a printed evacuation plan that is available for review by all occupants. The evacuation plan should be clearly posted throughout the building or distributed to all employees. Employees should be made aware of their nearest exit in case of emergency and should be taken through regular evacuation drills so that they understand how to quickly proceed out of the building in an emergency situation. All evacuation plans should outline not only the nearest exit but also indicate a secondary exit in case the first is blocked by debris or fire.

    Violation

    • Any business owners found in violation of local fire safety ordinances can be fined up to a government-mandated number of times, usually around three, before they face threats to their business license. A violation would be having no fire safety equipment or unusable equipment, lack of an evacuation plan, or lack of safe, usable exits to the building. All violations must be remedied before the next inspection by the fire marshal to avoid further fines or penalties.

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